The Happy Ending
by Nerd Herd President
Summary: Right after NFA. My version of a happily ever after, because the concept of 'dead characters' doesn't register to me. Buffy's drowning her sorrows one night in Cleveland, when a burst of light drops down some visitors. X/A, A/C, W/T, hints of D/C
1. All's Quiet Or is it?

**Disclaimer: So Joss and I were walking around town one night like we do, and I asked him "Joss, sweetie, could I take Spike for the weekend? Just for the weekend, I promise. Please?" and I looked at him all Bambi-like and he just looked at me and said "Youre just using me for my Spike, aren't you?" and when I blushed he started yelling "NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE MY SPIKE AND YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY OF MY OTHER CHARACTERS EITHER! AND YOU HAVE STUPID HAIR!". Great, there goes my chances at stealing Wesley too...**

**Chapter 1**

Cleveland was nice. Not that she'd hated England, but everything there made her think of _him_, and she'd missed the U.S. Plus, Cleveland had the added bonus of living on a Hellmouth again, something she'd shamefully missed in England. There was something to be said for stopping beasties from destroying the world every other day.

Plus, everyone ended up there sooner or later anyways. As the only confirmed Hellmouth, Cleveland was the unofficial headquarters of the remaining Scooby Gang, although their official one was in England. Even Faith and Andrew hung out there when not doing whatever it was Faith and Andrew do.

Xander was actually the only one to have permanent residence in Cleveland, although Giles' 'temporary' vacation from England had lasted for more than a year. The reason for his extended vacation was simple; teaching. With all the new Slayers showing up all over the world and new Watchers being rounded up, someone had to show everyone the ropes, and their Cleveland base was the first choice for its size and staff.

Faith (and now Buffy) was making pretty good headway with the Slayers, but only Giles was capable of training new Watchers. However, Xander, with his ample experience from the Sunnydale days, had enough knowledge to at least assist Giles, and was actually proving himself to be a very capable Watcher. Through sheer luck, Willow had stumbled across an abandoned factory on a patch of consecrated ground, so with a little remodeling and a few more protection spells, it became their newest base. Everything was great.

Except for Buffy.

She was currently on break. Faith had taken a group of newbies on patrol, and Giles had the rest in research mode on some new beastie, so she decided to wander around town, since she'd only been there for about a month and had yet to find a good bar to drown her sorrows in.

In the year since destroying the old Hellmouth (along with her house, school, and mother's grave), she'd found that alcohol was an extremely attentive companion. Most of the gang had taken their victory in stride, happily congratulating each other, and moving on with new confidence. Sure, they'd lost a few of their own, but hey, people died in war. They'd mourned and moved on with their lives.

But a few of them hadn't. A few of them had stayed, wallowing in their grief, mourning their loses, putting on happy faces for everyone else. And Buffy was part of that exclusive club.

She had it worse than Xander and Dawn though. Xander had loved Anya with all his heart, and while he'd left her at the altar, she'd known how he'd felt about her and by the end had had a shot at working things out, and probably would've made it. When she died, she died a hero, fighting the good fight, and Xander was proud of her, even as he mourned.

With Dawn, there was a little more pain. Dawn shared Buffy's grief, but in a whole different way. She hadn't lost a soul mate, but a best friend, not a lover, but a big brother in so many ways. On top of that, she had the added benefit of Buffy's grief, sharing her sister's pain, putting her own mourning on hold to ease her sister back to life. But Buffy's pain was deeper than the teenager could imagine.

Dawn had lost a comrade, a babysitter, a sharer of jokes. Xander had lost a partner, a wife, a best friend. Their grief was nothing.

Buffy had lost Spike. A simple statement, but the effects spoke for themselves.

Xander regretted not marrying Anya while he'd had the chance. Dawn regretted not forgiving Spike before he'd died, and not telling him how much he'd meant to her.

Buffy regretted not loving him enough. She'd only told him she loved him once, in his final moments as their burning hands had intertwined for the last time, and he hadn't believed her. Now she'd never get the chance to convince him.

It'd taken her weeks to stop isolating herself in silence, and finally give in to the tears, but to the world, these tears only lasted a day. Only Dawn knew that she still soaked her pillow every night, often while unconscious. Her dreams insisted on haunting her with a montage of every punch, every insult, every time she had ever hurt him, finally ending with his final moments of disbelief. Of course he didn't believe her. What had she ever done to make him believe her?

These gloomy thoughts consumed her as she wandered around town. She finally found a cheap all night biker bar. Perfect. That meant the strong stuff, and if she got in a bar fight, so much the better. With all the new slayers, she hadn't gotten to let of nearly enough steam. She strode in with a cocky swagger she didn't feel and slammed a twenty on the counter with strength she didn't want. She'd have traded it all for a sarcastic blonde vampire with a British accent and a leather coat.

The next few hours blended together with the more beer she drank. She'd have preferred something stronger, like scotch, but that reminded her too much _him_, so she went without. It was actually rather dull. No demons to hit, no friends to tease, no Spike to laugh with. When she left, she made a mental note not to go back to such a dull, lifeless bar.

Or maybe it was her. Life did seem less nowadays. Less… colorful. Less full. Like everything else, she blamed it all on Spike.

She walked out dizzy, but she didn't mind. She was only around the corner from the new headquarters. All she had to do was turn down this alley and turn… no, wait, dead end. Okay, the next alley, and turn and then…crap.

It took her twenty minutes to admit defeat. She knew even drunk she could handle most things that came her way, but she really didn't want to wake up with the enormous hangover she was sure to have in an alley.

Finally she spotted a familiar street. She started walking home, her head down, tears caused by self-loathing and alcohol threatening to spill. She didn't deserve friends and family as great as hers. She didn't deserve the love of Angel or Riley, let alone Spike, who'd loved her and helped her even when she didn't deserve it in the least. She deserved to live out her days as drunken hermit in the mountains. No one would miss her. Sure, she'd miss the clothes, but-

BOOM!

With a huge blast of energy, she flew backwards, sobered instantly.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed. Then she looked up.

Six people were slowly pulling themselves up on what was a few seconds ago a deserted street. She looked up quickly enough to see 3 blue energy holes quickly disappear above what seemed to be a group of four and two individuals.

A quick look over told her all she needed to know. The man on the right was Wesley, her former Watcher, looking more rugged and mature then she'd seen him last, but Wesley nevertheless. He seemed to be covered in blood, but there was no visible wound. The green demon on the left she assumed was on the side of good, as he didn't try to attack her, and, judging by the way he ran to help Wesley up, knew the group at large, though she couldn't help but question his fashion sense.

The group of four directly in front of her looked like they'd been through hell, but like Wesley, didn't have a scratch on them. She recognized Angel in the lead, obviously; the ensouled vampire couldn't help but play Follow the Leader whenever possible. On his left was a scary looking, leather clad, blue-haired woman, and on his right was a tough looking, African-American guy. And behind the trio holding the ax was…

"Spike," Buffy whispered.

Another thundering 'BOOM' made them all jump as a young man fell from the sky.

"Okay, I take it back. If that beer can make me hallucinate this much, I'm going to that bar more often."

Author's Note: K, so I know this says Romance/Humor, so there WILL be light-heartedness eventually, just had to get all the angsty stuff out first. Please review, first story and all, and I'll have the next chapter soon, just figuring out this whole set-up first. Give a little review, get a little more story, it's the way of the world.


	2. Stayness needs Whiskeyness

**Disclaimer: So I called Joss up, after our little spat, asking if he wanted me back, and he was all "Yeah, no. I heard you were just using me for Spike." and I was all "OF COURSE I WAS! Now can I have him? PLEASE?". *dial tone*. I guess that's a no...**

**Previouslies: Buffy was on break and got drunk at a bar. On her way home she got lost, when a bunch of people fell from the sky, including the guy she was getting drunk over. WHAT WILL HAPPEN?**

**P.S. That last guy who fell was Connor, I don't think I made that very clear, and I just wanted to clear that up for the next chapter. Also, thanks to batgirl2992, Evelyn Knight, applemysteries, katieg22, and jaimee01 for reviewing. And applemysteries? That's exactly why I wrote it ;)**

**Chapter 2**

"Buffy?" Angel asked, looking just as surprised as the rest of them.

"The one and only. Only, not really the only since I activated all those Slayers, and not really the one, since Faith and all, but whatever I was Chosen first, so ha! Although if this is a drunken hallucination, I suppose there could be more of me. Or maybe I really passed out in that alley, and I'm really dreaming all this. Or maybe this is-"

"Buffy! This isn't a dream or a drunken hallucination," Angel interrupted, the last part dripping with disapproval.

"But it has to be a dream or something. Otherwise, why is Spike here? Although in my dreams he's usually either fighting me or naked, so… maybe it's a hallucination? But then-"

"BUFFY!" Angel shouted , noticing Spike's grin at the 'naked' comment. "You're obviously drunk, and it looks like we could all use a little rest and first aid…" he said, looking around and noticing his group's unharmed state. "Or not. I- Wes! You're okay? How- Never mind. Buffy, is there somewhere we can go to, uh, freshen up?"

"What?" she asked, startled from staring at Spike. "Oh, yeah. The new headquarters is right up the road. I guess you guys should just, uh, follow me?"

She started up the hill, leading the rag tag team silently towards the factory, constantly looking back at the man she'd been sure she'd lost forever.

"Giles! Do we still have any whiskey, or did Xander drink it all?" Buffy asked, bursting through the back door.

"I think we still have a bottle or two, but Buffy, I really disapprove of you two drinking so much, that's not the way either of you should deal with your prob-"

He started, seeing the tired and haggard looking group behind Buffy.

"Buffy, who've you brought home with you?"

"Just my hallucinations," she answered, slightly slurred. "But if we want them to stay, I'm gonna need that whiskey."

"Buffy, I hardly think- Wesley? Is that you? And Angel and… SPIKE?"

"Like I said, to make with the stay-ness, I need whiskey-ness," she hiccupped. The buzz was starting wear off, and she seriously wasn't ready to face reality armed with a battering ram of a headache, just yet.

"Fine, here," Giles said rather absently, pulling a bottle of whiskey from the pantry; he wasn't in the mood to argue with a stubborn, drunk, super-being.

"Um, Giles? A little help here?" Spike asked, drawing his attention from the now guzzling Slayer to the two vampires stuck outside without and invitation.

"Oh, yes, come in, both of you."

"Thanks mate."

"So, um, perhaps we should head into the living room and discuss, ah, why you're here?"

"Why is that human drinking that liquid? The scent of it already pours from its secretions. Why does it ingest more?" the blue-haired woman asked bluntly.

"I'll explain alcohol to you later, Illyria, but in the meantime let's try and uncover why were suddenly in the midst of what appears to be the new Watchers Council, when twenty minutes I ago, I thought I was dead," Wesley said.

"Dead? Dear lord. I suppose we have quite a lot discuss then. Come along Buffy. Buffy?" Giles looked back into the kitchen, and then into the living room with the others, but the Slayer was gone.

A/N: I know, it's really short, but there WILL be Spuffiness, this was jsut the best place to break it. Plus, the next one gets kinda hectic, with a lot of charcters showing up, so wanted to keep this one light. May not be able to post for a while, my teachers decided to give me five tests in one day, so hang in there, I'll try to update soon.


	3. From Storytime to AssKicking

**Disclaimer: Joss has a lovely house. I was watching it from my binoculors all weekend when some mean police men showed up and told me that my restraining order forebade me from spying on Joss anymore, or something silly like that. It's not my fault Joss still has my Spike! C'mon Joss! Just give him back, and I'll leave you alone! Alright, fine, I'll settle for Wesley, but you have to throw in Xander too! Really?... That's just mean, leading a girl on like that. **

**Previouslies: The Angel gang (minus Cordelia, who, unfortuantely is dead, at this point) fell from the sky in front of a very heavily intoxicated Buffy. She thinks it's all a dream, (but it can't be, 'cause if it was, Spike would be naked), but brings them home to Giles anyways. He asks 'What's going on?" (only, you know, all British-like), and she asks "Where's the whiskey" (you know, all drunk-like). The whole group parades inot the living room to see what happened, and Buffy's apparently gone missing. Along with the bottle of booze. **

**Author's Note: I'm very sorry for not updating for the longest time, and I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but believe me, the next chapter's gonna be pretty long, cause I really have no idea where ot break it. It kinda all goes to hell in the next chapter. Unless I can actually break it nicely. Then it'll all go to hell in the next few chapters. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ANGEL SEASON 4 AND 5! And thank you to McAlice92, TheElfQueen, teamtiva, jaimee01, batgirl2992, and applemysteries for reviewing, you're all amzing! **

**Chapter 3**

Buffy was confused.

Why was Giles able to see her hallucinations? And why were they in the living room when _she_ was crouching behind the stair railing? Weren't hallucinations supposed to follow the hallucinat-or? And shouldn't they be talking to _her_, not Giles? She was so confused.

She took another swig of whiskey, made a face, and tried to listen in on the group.

"So let me see if I understand this correctly," Giles was saying. "In short, you joined an evil law firm, supposedly to 'fight it from the inside', but really because Angel made a deal with the devil to protect his son, Connor, that we knew nothing about, then Spike showed up practically on your doorstep as a ghost, but somehow got recorporealized, Cordelia died, Fred was turned into an extremely powerful goddess/primordial demon, and then, in your final apocalyptic showdown with the most evil law firm in history against an army that outnumbered you a thousand to one, a portal suddenly opened up above you, and transported you all here?"

His summary was met by a chorus of nods.

"Well that's just splendid. It's nice to know we didn't miss anything." He slumped down onto the couch, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Actually," interjected Gunn. "You skipped the parts where we lost all memory of Connor because of Angel's demonic deal, Cordy was possessed, got pregnant, gave birth to an evil super-goddess who tried to make us all drones, went into a coma, and _then_ died, that whole little bit where I got all that lawyer crap stuffed in my brain, which inadvertently led to Fred's death and Illyria's rise, and the part where we all thought Wesley was dead up until a little while ago when he fell out of a portal next to us. "

"How could I forget?"

"So, Giles, what's been happening here?" Angel asked, in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

As Giles gave them a summary of their own exploits, Buffy tuned out to process the info she'd overheard.

In her still inebriated state, only one little part of that whole story registered in her mind. Spike. Spike had come back from the dead. He'd been a ghost. He'd become solid. And, by the looks of it, he'd joined Angel's team. But not once, _not once_, did he think to pick up the phone and call her, to let her know he was even alive.

Buffy wasn't confused anymore. She was _angry_.

"SPIKE!" she shouted, pounding down the stairs. "I am going to kick. Your. Ass."

A/N: Again, sorry for the shortness, but this felt like the best place to end it. I promise I'll try to update soon, the next chapter just needs some editing. So far, I'd say this story's gonna be about 5 or 6 chapters, but that's just a guesstimate, since I haven't actually written a satisfying ending yet, nor do I have one planned. I'm kinda just winging it, so please, any positive feedback would be greatly appreciated. And thank you, if you're actually reading this after such a long hiatus with no story. School's decided it hates me and refuses to give me time to write. Plus, the muses are fickle. Maybe reviews will put the muses in a good mood? *totally unsubtle hinting* Seriously, though review, and maybe someone could give me an idea for an ending? I have an idea of where I wanna go, but suggestions are always welcome. And I've totally been drabbling on and I'm sorry for wasting you time reading this supremely long author's note. Review please!


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